Kerala to aggressively promote home tourism

The tourism minister says steps, including decentralizing destination development, are on the horizon to offset lost revenue caused by the decline in international tourist arrivals

The Kerala government has said the state could offset the loss of revenue caused by the sharp decline in foreign tourist arrivals by aggressively promoting domestic tourism.

In response to questions from lawmakers during Thursday’s Congregation Question Time, Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas replied that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed people’s vacation plans.

The international vacation and leisure cruise industry was slowly recovering. During the break, tourists keen to buy more opted for nearby holiday destinations that they could reach by road.

Mr. Riyas said that inter-county and interstate recreational travel was the dominant trend. Kerala local travel destinations had swelled with domestic tourists during the brief hiatus between the first and second waves of COVID-19.

Mr Riyas said Kerala is poised to use most of the forecast boom in domestic tourism to quickly reverse the loss caused by the harrowing collapse in international travel. The state would do this by decentralizing tourism. Mr. Riyas said local corporations would have a bigger stake in the development of vacation destinations. The state government would improve the connection between the districts and between the states. His pitch would help revive the dying automotive sector.

More local tourists

Mr Riyas said an estimated 1.83 billion domestic tourists vacationed in Kerala during the pre-pandemic period in 2019. By comparison, the state received only 10 lakh foreign tourists that year. Domestic tourists are the bigger piece of the tourism pie, he said.

Kerala has envisaged a number of tourism promotion programs to increase domestic and overseas tourists to 3 million and 20 lakh, respectively, by 2025.

Cleanliness problems

Sanitation, waste disposal, and pollution have been major stumbling blocks for tourism. The government would address the cleanliness issues with support from stakeholders and local communities.

Mr Riyas said Kerala would market the state’s cuisine and culture worldwide. It would promote historical and pilgrimage tourism. The state would market itself as an affordable business and Ayurveda destination.

Mainstay of the economy

The minister said mere numbers alone could not depict the loss caused by the collapse of global tourism. The travel and tourism industry has been a major provider of livelihoods in Kerala and the backbone of the economy. The steep decline in tourists had driven hundreds into poverty. Houseboat owners, car workers, hotel workers and other service providers were beaten.

State aid

The government has cushioned their suffering by imposing a moratorium on corporate loan repayment and tax relief. It has urged banks to provide tourism entrepreneurs with simple, low-interest loans to revitalize their businesses. The government hoped to mitigate the losses through innovative programs and marketing programs.

Host families, houseboats

Kuttanad Legislator Thomas K. Thomas said host families are the backbone of the wetland economy. However, the pandemic had forced their closure. Snake boat races, another major attraction, had come to an end. “There seemed to be no end to human hardship in sight,” he said.

Congressional MLA PC Vishnunath, which represents the Kundara segment, said the pandemic had devastated houseboat tourism. The government should take urgent steps to revitalize the tourism sector at the earliest.

MK Muneer of the Indian Union Muslim League said the busy resorts of Kovalam, Kumarakam and Varkala have become ghost towns.